A Different Kind of Treasure
by Kida-Motou
Summary: Zoro. The tough, swordwielding first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates. A heart made of stone...or is it?
1. Chapter One

_"Zoro! Look! We're getting close to the shore!"_

_The green-haired pirate opened one eye, giving his captain the most unamused look he possibly could, certainly not appreciating the loud voice of the gangly, rubber-boy as an alarm clock. But it was his own fault, he supposed. After all, he had told the crew to wake him up when they got closer to land. He only wished Luffy would learn to use a softer tone sometimes. "Is that so?" He asked, sitting up slightly as his brain started functioning again._

_"Yep!" exclaimed the overexcited captain. Any new land to him was a great new adventure. It was hard most times to not get as excited as he was, but Zoro was starting to develop a resistance. Unwillingly, the first mate opened both of his eyes, seeing Sanji, Nami, Vivi, Chopper, and Usopp watching the sandy beach grow closer and closer. Sanji, as usual, was desperately trying to get the two girls', attention, while Chopper and Usopp were fighting about something, probably who would be carrying their supplies to the nearest town. Zoro really wouldn't mind carrying the supplies, but he would much rather be training, so he left the two to their bickering. _

_The Merry-Go jerked slightly as the anchor was dropped in the small bay, before finally settling over the small waves that ran against it. The crew had taken a ship to the beach and walked up it, seeing a village up ahead. Nami yelled at Luffy as he ran full-speed ahead, his stomach growls heard from even a long distance away. Zoro flashed his trademark smirk as he watched the crew part ways, going on their own paths for a while. 'Finally, some training time.' he thought, walking up to a middle-aged man. "Is there a waterfall somewhere around here?"_

_"Well sure!" the man nodded, turning towards the road and pointing. "Just follow this road and it'll take you right to it."_

_"Thanks." Zoro nodded, hooking his thumb into the green wrap around his waist as he walked down the road, taking a lazy pace._

_Some time later, he stepped over the tall grass, looking around for any sign of the road. 'He tricked me!' Zoro groaned, before stopping. "What-?" He blinked, walking towards whatever the sound was._

_He smiled as he stood in front of a large waterfall, realizing that it had been the sound he had heard before. He removed his shirt and hopped down into the water, walking towards the falling water. Zoro lifted two great rocks onto his arms as he closed his eyes, holding his position as best he could when he heard a voice._

_"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"_

_His eyes popped open, looking for the source of the angry voice when he saw a blonde haired girl standing not too far away from him, her hands placed on her hips. Zoro raised his eyebrow, wondering what it was exactly that she was doing. "Standing under a waterfall with rocks on my arms? What exactly does it look like I'm doing?" He asked irritably._

_"I'm afraid you're going to have to find a different place, then, and different rocks. I need this area to train." She answered, equally irritable._

_Zoro flat out laughed, trying to imagine this small girl even attempting to lift one of the hugely heavy stones on his arms. "I doubt that." He snickered, then blinked at the even more dirty look the girl was shooting at him._

_"Is that a challenge?"  
Zoro smirked. "Yeah, I think it is. Tell you what, if you can carry this one rock to the top of that waterfall, I'll leave you to your training, alright?"_

_The girl's lips grew into a smirk as her eyes gained a mischievous gleam to them, her short hair clinging to her neck as the water droplets landed on her. "Agreed. Now set them down."_

_He set the rocks down and leaned back against the wall of smooth rocks next to the waterfall. "Go ahead." He gestured to the large stones laying on the ground. "It shouldn't be too difficult for someone as strong as you." He chuckled.  
"You're right, it won't be." The girl smiled at him, tying a rope that had been around the rock around her waist, a rope that he hadn't noticed. She tightened the rope as she grabbed onto a much smaller rock behind the waterfall. Zoro watched the girl climb with ease up the enormous waterfall, courting the rock as easily as if it were a part of her body. As she grew closer to the top, he was forced to shield his eyes, although he could see her no more._

_"You stuck-?" He asked partially until the gigantic rock landed with a loud boom next to him. Zoro jumped to the side and blinked, looking up at the very top of the waterfall and seeing the girl standing there._

_"No, but I did just win a waterfall, thank you." She shouted down to him. He grumbled unhappily, until he saw the girl leap from the top of the fall face first. He stared, watching her get closer and closer to him until she dropped into the water._

_"Hey!" He shouted, searching the unmoving water a few moments after she had either jumped or fallen. His black eyes searched for any bubbles coming up, and nearly fell off of the small ledge when a voice piped up from behind._

_"Hey what?" Zoro spun, coming face to face with the soaked girl, and made a small grunt. At this distance, he realized that her eyes were two different colors, having only seen one previously due to a shield of bangs covering the other. However, now the bangs were wetted back, and her green and blue eyes shone. _

_"N-Nothing." He blinked, not very good with speaking with women. In fact, he rarely ever spoke that much at all, but even less to the opposite sex._

_"Well, alright then. I'll tell you what." She nodded, resting her hands on her hips again. "You can have the waterfall, for now. I've got a few things to take care of."_

_He blinked a few times, then furrowed his eyebrows. "Then why exactly did you just do that, if you weren't even planning on staying around?"  
"To prove a point." She informed him, turning away from him. "Don't underestimate the power of a woman."_

_-----_

_The young man had decided to end his training early. He just couldn't get over what the girl had said, or even more, what she had done. She was shorter then Nami, but she had the same basic build. He couldn't even imagine Nami doing that, let alone this new girl. 'Pretty impressive. A little too competitive though." He admitted to himself, still deep in thought as he entered the combination of a pub and restaurant. There, he immediately picked out Luffy and Chopper, both with towering plates beside them, although Chopper's was much smaller then Luffy's. Zoro assumed that the little reindeer had already gone to the local doctor to pick up some supplies, since there were a few boxes seated next to him. _

_Luffy's mouth was filled to brimming with he saw a mostly filled plate close to him. Stretching out his arm, he attempted to grab a hunk of meat when a fork slammed into his hand. "OW!" Yelped the naive captain, pulling his hand back to him and rubbing the stab marks. "That hurt!"_

_"Well, you shouldn't steal from other people's plates!" Replied a voice that was all too familiar to the first mate, he turned and stared at the girl he had met earlier that day._

_Before Luffy got to reply, a few of his other shipmates joined in the conversation, and Sanji was the first to notice the girl seated near the captain. "Fair maiden!" He exclaimed, down on one knee and holding the small woman's hand. "Your beauty is comparable only to that of an angel!" Zoro rolled his eyes as he grabbed a mug of grog, taking a long drink as the girl stared at Sanji._

_"Uhm are-are you alright?" The girl asked, staring at the yellow-haired cook._

_"Any and all wounds would be healed by the mear glimpse of you, my sweet!" He cried out, holding his hand to his chest as if holding in his heart. "Tell me, my angel, what is your name? I must know!" While Sanji was shouting out his questions to the girl, Luffy and the rest of the crew had grown seemingly interested, even though he was still scarfing down every scrap of food._

_"My name's Okazi Kida." She blinked, wondering what exactly was wrong with the man when she saw the green-haired man from before pulling the obsessive guy away. "Friend of yours?" Kida asked, still staring at the man with a curly-eyebrow._

_Luffy finally swallowed enough food before nodding. "They're both pirates on my ship!" He announced to her, even though the question she had asked was directed at Zoro, not him. "How do you know Zoro?" He asked, nosily._

_"We met earlier today, at the waterfall." Kida proceeded to explain the whole thing to the small crew, Zoro standing off to the side, still holding back Sanji. Plus, she had accidentally let it slip that she had left the lake early due to the fact that she had forgotten her instrument._

_After the story, Luffy slammed his hand on the countertop. "That settles it! You'll come with us and be our musician!" He shouted, still obsessed with having a musician aboard the Merry-Go. The others sighed and shook their heads wearily._

-----

It had only been a few months since Kida had agreed to join the Straw-Hat pirate crew, and she was still ecstatic to be there. While she rarely got a moment away from Sanji, who made it a point for the newest member to never be cold, hungry, thirsty, or too hot, she had still managed to befriend the entire crew, including, oddly enough, Zoro. She smiled, seated beside the small reindeer as they spoke about their very different lives.

Zoro practiced on the deck of the ship, seeing the blonde haired girl talking to their residential doctor, reminiscing over how much they had discovered about each other in only a short period of time. Apparently, she had taught herself her own style of fighting, having grown up in an orphanage and because she was always the smallest girl. She used her agility to her advantage, and had learned how to play the violin at a young age. They had also managed to squeeze out that she was 18 years of age, and she wanted to someday see the world. Sometimes she trained with Zoro, challenging his strength with her speed, which, admittedly, was a difficult feat. They usually ended with a stalemate, or were interrupted by Sanji yelling at Zoro about ever laying a scratch on the girl. Zoro unhooked his swords and set them on the deck, walking over to the side and leaning against the rail.

As Chopper had to finish arranging a few things for any future accidents, Kida leapt down from the raised deck and leaned over the rail beside the tall pirate, staring out at the glimmering sea. "It's so beautiful." She murmured, the reflection of the golden waves lingering in her exposed blue eye. It was odd to him. Sometimes, she seemed like such a tough woman, the side of her she showed to most people. But other times, usually when she spoke to Chopper or sometimes, on the rare occasion, himself, she showed a much softer side. Whenever she did, he felt odd, almost protective. Normally, Zoro told himself that it was merely the fact that she had let her guard down, and she was just a woman.

"It is." He agreed softly, resting his chin on his arms as he glanced out at the water, trying to clear his head of any thoughts.

She looked over at him and smiled, setting her hands on the rail. "You know...I never thanked you."

"For what?" Zoro asked, abandoning his attempts to clear out his mind.

She cleared her throat and adjusted her footing, almost nervously. "Well, I probably would have never joined this crew if I hadn't met you that day. I'd still be stuck there, kicking swordsmen away from the waterfall." She smiled as he laughed at her joke.

"Well then, you're welcome." He smiled broadly up at her, then blinked, just then seeing that she had been exceptionally nervous. He started to feel that protective feeling in the pit of his stomach, especially when Sanji slid up behind her and set his hand on her lower back.

"Sanji!" Kida jumped, blinking at the blonde chef, who didn't seem to notice that she had been in a private conversation with Zoro.

"Ah, Kida. Have I ever told you how radiant you look in the setting sunlight?" Sanji asked poetically.

Zoro grunted at shook his head, standing in silence as he heard Sanji tell Kida exactly everything that Zoro himself had thought, until he blinked. 'Wait a minute...everything I just thought...?' He asked himself, shaking his head. 'I gotta knock it off. She's just a member of the crew.' He glanced over at Sanji and the girl and stood, heading back into the cabin.

-----

It was finally time to dock at Nanohana. It had been so incredibly chaotic that Zoro rarely ever got a chance to get Kida in private, but now that they had gotten to the desert continent, he doubted that he would get her in private now either. But now that Baroque Works was getting more and more involved, he had a lot more to worry about then talking to her, and he was certain she felt the same.

Luffy, again, had made his lone pilgrimage to the nearest restaurant, and the rest of them had left Sanji in charge of purchasing clothes while they sat in the shade. It didn't really help all that much, as the heat was nearly unbearable. Kida sighed as she rested her head against the wall, staring up at the cloudless sky. "Maybe we should go looking for them." She mumbled, not putting forth much effort to move.

Zoro grunted, holding his hand up in the air. "After you."

As if on cue, Sanji and Chopper showed up from the beaming sunlight. "Good timing, guys." Kida nodded, standing up with the help of Chopper and taking her clothes. "Thanks." She nodded, then headed back to get dressed with the other two women. The men slipped on their clothes, which weren't much different from the ones that they were already wearing.

A few minutes later, Vivi and Nami came back, telling Sanji that they looked more like belly dancers then actual people. Zoro blinked, noticing that Kida wasn't with them. "Hey...where's Kida?" He asked the two girls, who informed him that she was still getting dressed.

Sanji leaned in close to the green haired swordsman. "Why so worried, Zoro? Think she went and found herself some nice men to hang out with?"

Zoro glared at the chef, angry at how he had seen through the way that Zoro was trying to hide his worry. "Of course not. Luffy's gone, I don't want to lose any other members of the crew before he gets back."

"Oh, of course. Well, you'll be thanking me later for this, I promise you."

"Thanking you? Why would I be-?" He stopped in midsentence, seeing Kida come out from around the corner. A long, exotic skirt hung loosely on her curvaceous hips, a sparkly stomach shirt covering her upper body though not leaving much to the imagination. She glanced over at Zoro, the bottom half of her face covered by a thin piece of fabric. He knew that the blood had risen to his face, and probably other areas of his body as well.

Sanji leaned over again to Zoro, smirking. "Never mind about thanking me, your expression is thanks enough." He whispered.

"Nice pick, Sanji." She mumbled, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "We're gonna get charcoaled."

Zoro felt like his eyes were glued to the girl's outfit, even blinking took a great deal of thought and physical effort, hoping that Kida hadn't noticed. Of course, she had. Yet she was trying to avoid looking at him, knowing that she wouldn't be able to hold back a blush if she made eye contact. Luckily, Sanji jumped in front of Zoro's view and took Kida's hand. "I would do nothing to sabotage your beautiful skin, my sweet. I also purchased some cloaks to protect you."

The three girls blinked and nodded their thanks before seating themselves down. Kida took her seat against the wall again, and Chopper changed back to his brain point, laying down on Kida's shins. He panted from being in the sun too long. After a few short moments, Vivi sighed. "Suppose we should go look for Mr. Luffy?"

Zoro rubbed his cheek. "Probably should. He wouldn't do too well out here in a desert by himself." He offered his hand down to Kida after Chopper had removed himself from her legs. "Need help up?" He asked, feeling the blood rush to his face again as he looked down at her, hoping the reaction that she kept giving him would go away soon.

"Huh? Oh! Sure." She smiled, taking his hand and being lifted off her feet, Zoro forgetting his own strength. "Whoa!" She laughed, regaining her balance. "Heh, not that heavy, Zoro." He blinked a few times and mumbled an apology then realized that she wasn't laughing at him and laughed along.


	2. Chapter Two

Kida stretched as she regained her balance, looking over the hustle and bustle of the desert people. She hadn't been with the Straw Hat Pirates all that long, and it was still fascinating to her to see the different people and their ways of life. The unbearable heat, the constant need to ration water, it was all natural for them. She giggled to herself, wondering if it would ever stop feeling so new to her. After a few moments, she smiled and returned her attention to the crew, inwardly sighing with relief now that Sanji had focused his attention on Vivi and Nami instead of herself. However, she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched.

Zoro stared at the small girl in front of himself, too lost in a world of thought to comprehend anything going on around him. All he could think of was how unique she was. Unlike the other two girls, she didn't have to spend time worrying about how she looked; her focus was always on other, more important things. But even so, she had a natural beauty. Her eyes, when he could see both of them, were as deep and magnificent as a sapphire and emerald, but shone brighter then any star when she smiled. He constantly felt the need to be close to her, to protect her. But he always questioned why...

Suddenly, a loud crash and shouts broke Zoro unwillingly from his trance. A loud groan escaped from his lips as he watched his captain being chased by a mob of Marines. "Nevermind about looking for Luffy..."

The other crew members blinked at the first mate and turned, their mouths gaping open until a loud and happy shout came from the captain. "Hey!" Kida laughed as they ran away from the hunted rubber boy, reminding herself that with this crew every minute is an adventure.

-----

The day came and went, and the Straw Hat Pirates were on their way to Erumalu. The Merry Go was about as silent as it ever was, as the crew was no where on deck, except for one lone girl seated above the galley on the night watch, with nothing to keep her company but a violin in hand.

A young man strode sleepily out of the men's quarters, not really caring if anyone saw him shirtless, as he normally was when he trained, while he walked into the kitchen. Rubbing the back of his head, he grabbed a bottle of grog and jumped as he saw a silhouette of someone near the table. "Ace!"

Fire Fist Ace looked up at the once sleepy swordsman and grinned, tipping his hat. "Sorry to startle you. Just enjoying the sound." He smiled, leaning back in his chair.

"The sound? The sound of what?" Zoro asked, until he heard it. A soft, bittersweet tune that could only be described as some kind of beautiful. Without a word to Ace and leaving behind his grog, he walked out of the kitchen, and onto the deck. His black eyes darted around the moonlit deck until he looked up, two feet dangling from the roof of the galley.

There she sat, her normal clothes on, as the night had taken the warmth of the day from the sea, a violin seated on her shoulder and a bow in her other hand. Her eyes were closed as she replaced what she felt from the night air and the gentle toss of the waves into an eerily stunning song. As he leaned against the rail, he watched her as the song took her over and she sang along with the tune. However, she used no words, just merely vocalized the harmony from the violin. Zoro gaped at the girl above him, noting that she had pulled her bangs behind her ears, and the moonlight shining upon her smooth skin looked almost like a halo to him. Honestly, he hadn't known that she could sing, as she had never done in front of him before. Normally, she simply played her violin and left it at that. A moment after she played the last chord of the song, the first mate cleared his throat.

"Zoro!" She exclaimed, jumping slightly and nearly falling off her risen seat. "Wh-What're you doing up here? I thought everyone was asleep!"

He smiled, shrugging his muscular shoulders. "Don't worry, I'm the only one up...and Ace." Zoro looked up at her and crossed his arms across his chest. "Why didn't you let anyone know that you could sing?"

She blinked a few times, then set the violin down in it's case beside her. "I...I just never really do in front of people. It makes me nervous." She watched as the green-haired man walked up to the roof and sat down next to her. "Besides, the caregivers at orphanages never really cared about singing or trying to make yourself feel better." She laughed sheepishly. "So I just got used to singing at night when everyone else was asleep."

Zoro nodded slowly, beginning to understand about the girl a little bit more. "I see. We'll have to break you out of that habit then." She blinked up at him and smiled, giving him a single nod in agreement. He looked over at her, seeing her about to pull her bangs back over her eye. "Why do you do that?"

She stopped, looking up at the black eyes of her nakama. "I-Well...Most people don't exactly like to see a person with two different colored eyes. Kind of makes them edgy, you know?" Her eyes widened slightly as he raised his hand to the side of her face, hooking the small piece of her hair that had started to fall in front of her face back behind her ear.

"You don't have to worry about that anymore. You're not there anymore." He smiled, letting his hand fall back to his side. "You're one of us now...it's okay to just be yourself."

She smiled, and nodded slowly. "I guess you're right, Zoro. I'll try to lighten up a bit." Kida leaned back on her hands and watched ahead of the ship, while Zoro just watched her. Without warning, all he could see was himself and her, embraced in a shy first kiss, his hand resting against her cheek as their eyes remained closed. An odd feeling of uncertainty rose in his stomach, and while he wanted to make his short fantasy a reality, he wasn't sure why he felt that way. Clearing his throat, he stood up quickly.

"I better get back to bed. I'll see you tomorrow." He mumbled, getting back down to the deck, leaving a confused Kida behind.

"O-Okay...goodnight."

"Night."

-----

Kida awoke the next morning in her hammock, the sunshine already beaming down upon her resting body. She groaned softly as her limbs began to follow her instructions again, and took a well-deserved stretch. Glancing around, she noted that Vivi and Nami were already up and about, so it was probably pretty late. Sliding out of bed, she slipped on her desert outfit and blinked at the table, seeing her toothbrush and a mug of water. Silently, she thanked Vivi for thinking of her and brushed her teeth clean before heading out towards the kitchen. "Good morning, KidaChan!"

She smiled sleepily to the blonde chef and sat down at the table, noticing that Ace was still seated there. "Have you been here all night, Ace?"

The tall pirate shook his head slowly. "No, not all night." He looked up at her from beneath the rim of his hat. "No need to worry about me, either." Ace smiled and rested his chin on his palm. "I've been doing pretty good out there on my own."

Kida laughed as Sanji set down her late breakfast in front of her. "Of course, of course, my mistake." She looked up as she saw Luffy running past the door, yelling his head off about how he could see land. Shaking her head and laughing, Kida stood up and walked out onto the deck, carrying a small bit of her food and munching on it, staring out at the approaching blob of land. "Almost there, guys!"

Zoro grunted, pretending to be asleep on the deck. In all actuality, he just didn't know how he was going to respond to Kida today...or really any other day. 'So much for not letting things get awkward...' he grumbled in his head, until he felt someone shaking his arm. He grunted again, trying to move his arm away. "What is it?"

"We're almost there, Zoro." His eyes shot open as a familiar voice, one he wasn't expecting, informed him of what was going on. The first mate shielded his eyes as they met with a pair of different colored ones. "You should probably get up soon, huh?" She asked sheepishly, and he couldn't help but notice her hair pulled back out of her face. He sat up slowly, propped up against the rail.

As Nami dropped the anchor and they made their way to the shore, Zoro watched as Kida slipped on her cloak and covered her head, looking over at him and giving a thumbs up. "You ready for this?"

He smirked, recognizing the competitive game they had played since the day they met. "Always ready for anything. Are _you _ready for this?"

Kida grinned, stepping onto the hot sand. "If you're ready for anything, then I'm ready for anything." She watched as Nami and Vivi climbed onto Eyelashes' back, although not bothered that she was the only girl who would be walking. In fact, she almost wanted to walk.

"Kida, we can switch positions when you get tired." smiled the princess. She blinked when the small girl held up her hand and shook her head.

"No worries, Vivi, I'm fine. Besides, walking's good for me." Kida smiled brightly and looked back at Chopper, who looked like he would already pass out from the excruciating heat. "Chopper, you gonna be okay, buddy?" The tiny reindeer nodded his head, falling over into Kida's leg.

"I-I'm sorry, Kida..." he apologized, trying to straighten himself up. She smiled and patted the top of his head, letting him know that it was okay, she understood. They gathered their supplies for Luffy to drag behind, although Kida didn't have anything other then the clothes on her back, as she had left her violin on the ship. However, she figured that she and Zoro were probably going to have to split dragging the doctor behind them.

"LET'S GO!" Shouted Luffy, ecstatic despite the fact that he was going to be dragging a large load of packages behind him.

-----

The day was long, hard to walk in, and hot. Ungodly hot. Kida was exceptionally grateful she had left her violin on the ship, due to all of their supplies getting stolen. But now they sat around a fire, nothing to do but talk amongst themselves. Zoro had tried not to notice, but it was difficult not to, that Kida had made her seat between him and Chopper and even though Chopper was giving off a lot of heat, she was shivering like mad.

Much later that night, after everyone, including Ace, had gone to sleep, Zoro awoke with a start from a dream. He let out a soft groan as he looked around, seeing that one crew member, as always, wasn't present anymore. Standing, he glanced around until he saw a glimmer from a short distance away, a reflection of the moonlight from a sparkly shirt.

Kida smiled while she stared up at the billions of stars gleaming down at her, lying on her back with her hands propping up her head. She jumped slightly when she heard a noise and sat straight up. "Who's there?"

Two pairs of hands were the first thing she saw, followed by a coy smile. "Your worst nightmare? Nah, just me." He smirked, sitting down next to her. He leaned back on his arms as he looked up at the stars, wondering why she always seemed to do it. "You're too much of a dreamer."

Kida raised her eyebrow and smirked, looking back up at the stars. "No, you were right the first time. Just my worst nightmare." She playfully punched his arm and shrugged at his final comment. "What's so wrong with that?" Zoro rolled the thought through his mind, then looked over to her, meeting her eyes, feeling lost in them again.

"Nothing's wrong with that."

Zoro blinked a few times as the girl scooted closer to him, noticing that she was shivering again. Unsure of what to do, he leaned back against a large rock, patting the spot next to him. "Warmer here. Speaking of which, where's your cloak?" She crawled back and looked down, for a short time forgetting that she wasn't wearing the cloak.

"Well...I figured that Luffy probably needed it more then I did. He was suffocating Chopper!"

Zoro laughed with her good heartedly. She was so different then any other girl he had ever met, which, given, wasn't that many, but still. He watched as she shivered, staring up at the night sky, while her only means of warmth was lying around someone else who she had felt needed it more. Without warning, or really any conscious thought, he had his arm wrapped around her shoulder. When she looked up at him with those different colored eyes, a small piece of her hair falling back to her face, he felt his stomach throb with the unsure feeling that had made him so nervous before. Almost automatically, his hand reached up and softly brushed her hair away, leaving it on her cheek as he leaned in. She slowly met him in between and their lips met. Zoro smiled to himself as he saw her eyes slowly close, and his was soon to follow.

After a moment, they slowly pulled their lips away from each other, and Kida smiled up at the green haired pirate. At first, she was tempted to make a comment like "took you long enough" or something of that sort, but she felt that her actions spoke loud enough. Smiling, she watched as he leaned back against the rock, feeling very proud of himself. Kida rested her head upon his chest, and his arm felt a perfect spot on her side.

"This is going to be hard to explain tomorrow..." he murmured to her, taking his cloak from his shoulders and slipping it over the blonde girl next to him.

She yawned softly and rested her hand on his chest, closing her weary eyes. "I'm willing to risk that." she mumbled, yawning.

He smiled and gently patted his hand on her side as he felt her drifting into sleep. "I am too." It wasn't long before he, himself, followed her into a fitful sleep.

-----

Luffy, oddly enough, was the first to wake the next morning, most likely due to the excessive heat of Chopper, the bright desert sun rising over the horizon, and an extra cloak around him. He stood up and stretched, letting Kida's cloak fall down onto the small reindeer doctor. "Hooo! What a good sleep I had!" he exclaimed, looking around at the sleeping bodies around him. "Hey! Why isn't anybody up yet?" he shouted. The crew was slowly awakening with the yelling of the overexcited captain. Chopper squirmed beneath the extra cloak, soon starting to get nervous.

"Why is everything dark!" he screamed, kicking off the makeshift blanket and blinking as light finally hit his eyes. "Huh? What was that doing on me?" Chopper blinked, picking up the cloak. "This is Kida's..." He announced, taking a few sniffs of it.

As the crew became more conscious, they noticed that not only one other person was missing, but two. "Has anyone seen Zoro?" asked Usopp, who looked like he was already thinking the unimaginable had happened to the two. Ace, who said nothing, although he had a good idea where the two had gone, sat up and rubbed his face free of sleep.

Luffy, on the other hand, was still trying to grasp the concept of this cloak ordeal. "Huh. Kida's cloak is here. Think she got too hot overnight?"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT, LUFFY!"

"Hey, it's alright, I think I found them." announced the cook, who gestured in the general direction of the two, who were still dead asleep.

"What're they doing all the way out there? I'm gonna go find out!" Not listening to the protests of his crew, Luffy stretched out his arms. "Gomu Gomu No...ROCKET!"

Kida stirred slightly in her sleep, hearing some commotion a bit in the distance. Lifting up her head, she saw a speck of black and a hat headed right towards them. "LUFFY!" She yelled, which woke Zoro up just in time to get smashed by the Captain. After a few moments of getting over the shock, Zoro started yelling at the black haired boy, who simply sat on the shattered rock laughing his head off.

Shaking her head and laughing, Kida rubbed her cheek sleepily. "Good morning to you too, Luffy." She managed between laughs.

"Hey! What are you two doing out here? And did you get too hot last night?" He asked Kida, who raised her eyebrow at him, unsure why he was

if she was too hot the night before.

"We were sleeping, Luffy! Would it really be too difficult to walk!" Zoro yelled, while Kida tugged on their shirts, bringing them back into the camp where they were all warmly greeted with some food that Sanji had somehow managed to make, although no one really wanted to know where the meat came from. Kida smiled to herself as she thought, 'Just another day...' before her eyes met with Zoro's, and they shared a smile.


End file.
